Cris Cyborg reacts after former UFC rival Amanda Nunes announces her retirement from MMA

Cris Cyborg has reacted to the retirement of former UFC rival Amanda Nunes.

‘The Lioness’ returned to the octagon over the weekend at UFC 289 opposite Irene Aldana. ‘Robles’ took the fight on short notice, as Amanda Nunes was originally slated to fight Julianna Pena in a trilogy bout. In the main event of UFC 289, the Brazilian dominated en route to a lopsided decision victory.

Following the defeat, the UFC women’s bantamweight and featherweight champion announced her retirement. Since Amanda Nunes announced that she was having up the gloves, she’s received a groundswell of support from the MMA community. Well, not from everyone, as Julianna Pena has repeatedly slammed the Brazilian.

However, former rival Cris Cyborg has shown respect to Amanda Nunes. In an interview with James Lynch, the Bellator champion discussed her former foe’s retirement. The two famously fought at UFC 232 in December 2018, with ‘The Lioness’ scoring an upset knockout win.

Since then, Cris Cyborg has been steadfast in her desire to earn a rematch with her former opponent. With that potential rematch gone, the Brazilian is a little disappointed. However, she did show respect to her former foe, and her desire to start a family.

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Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

“I’m not surprised, she’s been fighting for a long time,” Cris Cyborg stated in the interview regarding Amanda Nunes’s retirement. “I know she has a wife and kids, and one kid away, you know, I think she’s just fought for a long time. She’ll have a new chapter in her life coming and she’s very excited, I’m not surprised.”

She continued, “…I don’t want to say upset, the right word is more disappointed [that she retired]. I had it in my heart to make the rematch before I retired, or before she retired. I think a lot of fans were asking for that too… After we fought, I know I was 14 years undefeated. I think the rematch was going to be great, but you know, I don’t know.”

What do you make of these comments from Cris Cyborg? How do you think a rematch with Amanda Nunes would go?